Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A casing unit ( 8 ) with built-in ionizer ( 7 ) and blower ( 21 ) is integrated with a control panel ( 6 ) so as to emit plus ions and minus ions into an outside-refrigerator living space around the front side of the refrigerator, and an ionized air discharge port ( 11 ) is disposed in the front side thereof, whereby suspended bacteria in the outside-refrigerator living space are sterilized to provide a hygienic living space. Concurrently, suspended bacteria intruding into the inside of the refrigerator from the outside when the door is opened can be excluded to realize a hygienic inside-refrigerator environment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a refrigerator furnished with an iongenerating apparatus for generating positive and negative ions to bereleased into the living space outside the refrigerator.

BACKGROUND ART

An example of a conventional refrigerator is disclosed in JapanesePatent Application Laid-Open No 2002-95731. This refrigerator isfurnished with a means for generating positive and negative ions for thepurpose of killing airborne germs present in the cold air inside therefrigerator.

This conventional technique aims at killing microbes floating in thecold air inside the refrigerator, and therefore, for this technique towork, it is at least necessary that microbes that have entered therefrigerator from the living space outside it float in the cold air bythemselves or in a form attached to particles.

In fact, however, it has been found that a large number of microbes arepresent inside a refrigerator furnished with an ion generating apparatuswhich is in actual use. Thus, it has been confirmed that part of themicrobes that have entered the refrigerator do not float but remaininside it under the electric charge of molded components.

Part of those microbes that remain attached under electric charge insidethe refrigerator are considered to have been, before settling inside it,airborne microbes that entered the refrigerator from the living spaceoutside the refrigerator where it is installed. This means that, even ifthe interior of the refrigerator is sterilized, airborne germs enter itwhenever the door is opened. Thus, when evaluated from the perspectiveof a refrigerator, the ion generating means used in the aforementionedconventional construction does not function as an effective sterilizingmeans.

Needless to say, it is possible to separately install an air purifierhaving such a capability in the living space where the refrigerator isinstalled in order to prevent entry of airborne germs into it fromoutside. However, considering modern house designs, this is not asolution for everyone because of the extra space occupied by theseparate unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator thatprevents entry of microbes into it from outside without occupying anunduly large space and that removes airborne germs present in the livingspace so as to cut off their way of entry and thereby achieve a morehygienic environment inside the refrigerator.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, arefrigerator is provided with ion generating means, and positive andnegative ions are released into a living space outside the refrigerator.

With this construction, by releasing positive and negative ions into aliving space outside the refrigerator, it is possible to remove airbornegerms present in the living space and thereby produce a hygienic livingspace. In particular, by releasing the positive and negative ions tooutside the door of a storage compartment of the refrigerator, it ispossible to prevent entry of airborne germs into the refrigerator fromoutside when a door is opened and closed. This makes it possible toproduce a hygienic environment inside the refrigerator.

The ion generating means may be built as a unit by being housed inside acasing unit. This makes the ion generating means easy to attach to anddetach from the refrigerator and thus easy to handle. For example, theion generating means is built as a unit having a blower and an iongenerating apparatus housed inside a casing unit.

The air inlet of the ion generating means may have an opening pointingdownward.

With this construction, it is possible to prevent entry of particulatedust that falls from above, and prevent entry of liquid such as water.This helps avoid deterioration of performance or failure.

According to the present invention, in a refrigerator, an ion generatingmeans is built into and thereby integrated into a control panel formaking various settings, for example, for adjustment of the temperatureinside a storage compartment.

In this construction, the ion generating means is built into and therebyintegrated into the control panel. This helps save space withoutreducing the space inside the storage compartment and without spoilingthe functions and appearance of the refrigerator. Moreover, by locatingthe air outlet of the ion generating means directly in the front face ofthe control panel without a detour through a pipe or the like, it ispossible to efficiently release ionized air and simultaneously savespace.

According to the present invention, the air outlet of the ion generatingmeans may be located in the front face of the control panel.

With this construction, it is possible to effectively release ionizedair into the living space outside, especially in front of and around,the refrigerator. Moreover, since the air outlet is located in the frontface of the control panel, it is possible to check whether the iongenerating means is operating or not easily as by placing a hand infront of the air outlet while operating the refrigerator.

According to the present invention, the air inlet of the ion generatingmeans may be located in the bottom face of the control panel and above arecess formed, as a door handle for the storage compartment, below thecontrol panel.

In this construction, air is sucked into the ion generating meansthrough the vicinity of the space created by the recess serving as thedoor handle. This enhances suction efficiency. Moreover, by locating theair inlet in the bottom face of the control panel, it is possible toprevent entry of particulate dust that falls from above, and prevententry of liquid such as water. This helps avoid deterioration ofperformance or failure.

According to the present invention, a dustproof filter may be detachablyattached to the air inlet of the ion generating means.

With this construction, it is possible to prevent entry of particulatedust into the ion generating means and thereby prevent dust fromcollecting in the ion generating electrode portion. This helps avoiddeterioration of performance.

Since this dustproof filter is detachably attached to the casing unit,it is easy to clean it regularly and replace it whenever necessary. Thisensures hygienic use, and helps prevent deterioration of performanceresulting from clogging of the dustproof filter.

According to the present invention, the casing unit may be provided withwater damage preventing means for preventing liquid such as water thathas entered the casing unit through the air outlet thereof from reachingthe ion generating apparatus.

In this construction, even if liquid such as water has entered thecasing unit through the air inlet thereof, the water damage preventingmeans prevents the ion generating apparatus and other components housedinside the casing unit from being affected.

The water damage preventing means may be realized with the air inletformed in the casing unit and a drain hole formed separately from theair outlet. Even if liquid such as water has entered the casing unitthrough the air inlet thereof, it can be drained out of it through thedrain hole.

In a case where the casing unit is built into the control panel formaking various settings, for example, for adjustment of the temperatureinside the storage compartment, a drain hole may be formed in a bottomportion of the control panel so as to correspond to the drain holeformed in the casing unit. This permits liquid such as theaforementioned water drained out of the casing unit to be drained out ofthe control panel through the drain hole formed therein, and thusprevents the components housed inside the control panel from beingaffected. As the water damage preventing means, a water damagepreventing rib may be formed so as to protrude upward from a bottomportion of the casing unit in the air passage between the air outletformed in the casing unit and the ion generating apparatus. This helpsprevent liquid such as water from reaching the ion generating apparatus.

The control panel may be located at a height of 800 mm to 1 100 mm fromthe floor surface of the refrigerator body. This makes it possible toprevent ionized air from being blown directly onto the face of infants(the average height of one-and-a-half-year-old infants, who startwalking steadily, is about 800 mm, and thus the aforementioned height iseffective in preventing ionized air from being blown onto the face of,at least, infants at such ages that they toddle supported orunsupported) without spoiling the operability with which adults canoperate the refrigerator. Thus, it is possible to achieve safety andusability simultaneously.

According to the present invention, in a refrigerator, an ion generatingmeans is located in a ceiling portion of the refrigerator body.

With this construction, it is possible to release positive and negativeions into the living space outside, especially in front of, therefrigerator. Thus, it is possible to kill airborne germs present in theliving space and thereby produce a hygienic living space.Simultaneously, it is possible to prevent entry of airborne germs intothe refrigerator from outside when a door is opened and closed andthereby produce a hygienic environment inside the refrigerator.

In particular, according to the present invention, the ion generatingmeans is located in a ceiling portion of the refrigerator body. Thismakes it possible to release ionized air containing positive andnegative ions from a high position. This ensures that the ions arespread over a wide area, and thus helps enhance the antimicrobial effecton airborne germs outside the refrigerator.

According to the present invention, since the ion generating means islocated in a ceiling portion of the refrigerator body, it is easy to fitan ion generating apparatus to a refrigerator having no ion generatingapparatus simply by changing the design of the ceiling portion thereofMoreover, such a refrigerator can be manufactured without design changesin the interior or doors thereof, and this helps reduce costs.

The ion generating means may be located anywhere so long as ions can bereleased into the living space in front of the ceiling portion of therefrigerator. For example, the ion generating means can be located inthe front face of the ceiling portion, where a fitting member forfitting the door hinge for the topmost storage compartment is formed soas to protrude therefrom, by the use of the space created in front ofthe ceiling portion by the fitting member.

In a case where, as the fitting member, a hinge fitting plate forfitting the door hinge for a storage compartment is provided in aceiling portion of the refrigerator and the refrigerator is providedwith a box-shaped member having the hinge fitting plate covered with acover, the space created inside the box-shaped member may be used tohouse the ion generating means inside the box-shaped member. This makesit possible to effectively use space. In particular, in a case where thedoor is openable from either side, hinge fitting plates are provided atboth the left-hand and right-hand sides thereof Thus, the space leftbetween the left-hand and right-hand hinge fitting portions can be usedto accommodate the ion generating means. Moreover, in a case where theentire left-hand and right-hand hinge fitting portions are covered witha cover, the ion generating means may be placed in the space between thespace between the hinge fitting portions and the cover.

The air outlet of the ion generating means may be formed in the frontface of the box-shaped member so that all doors are located below theair outlet. This makes it possible to effectively prevent entry ofairborne germs into the refrigerator.

A recess may be formed in a front bottom portion of the box-shapedmember, with the air inlet of the ion generating means formed in thebottom face of the box-shaped member so as to face the recess. Thisrecess helps widen the gap between the casing unit and the door, andthus permits an ample amount of air to be sucked in through the airinlet even when the door is closed.

By blowing out ionized air in one direction, it is possible toeffectively release ionized air into the living space in front of eachdoor or the refrigerator body. This eliminates the need to provide alouver for varying the direction in which ionized air is blown out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator of a first embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the construction of the control panelshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the construction of the control panelshown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view, as seen from below, of the control panel shownin FIG. 2, with the dustproof filter attached to the air inlet of thecasing unit.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view, as seen from below, of the control panel shownin FIG. 2, with the dustproof filter detached from the air inlet of thecasing unit.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the construction inside the casingunit shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along line X-X shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the configuration ofthe ion generating apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an external view showing an example of the ion generatingapparatus shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the refrigerator of a second embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the refrigerator of the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the construction inside the ceilingportion of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view along line A-A shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view along line B-B shown in FIG. 12.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall view of the refrigeratorof the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showingthe construction of the control panel shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is asectional view showing the construction of the control panel. FIG. 4 isa bottom view, as seen from below, of the control panel, with the filterattached to the air inlet of the casing unit. FIG. 5 is a bottom view,as seen from below, of the control panel, with the filter detached fromthe air inlet of the casing unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, in an upper portion of a refrigerator body 1, thereis provided a refrigerator compartment 2, and, in a lower portion of therefrigerator body 1, there are provided an ice-maker compartment 3 and afreezer compartment 4 on the right and a vegetables compartment 5 on theleft. These compartments are separated from one another withheat-insulating partition walls 1 a. Of these partition walls 1 a, theone 1 a that separates the refrigerator compartment 2 from the ice-makerand vegetables compartments 3 and 5 is located at a height of 800 mm to1 100 mm (specifically, 910 mm in FIG. 1) from the floor surface. In thefront face of this partition wall 1 a, there is provided a control panel6. As shown in FIG. 3, a casing unit 8 is built into and therebyintegrated into this control panel 6. The casing unit 8 is built as aunit incorporating an ion generating apparatus 7 that generates positiveand negative ions and a blower 21 that releases the generated positiveand negative ions, in a stream of air, into the living space outside therefrigerator.

The control panel 6 has a box-shaped panel body 6 a that is open at therear, and, in a central portion of this panel body 6 a, there isprovided a display portion 9 for displaying the operation status of therefrigerator and other monitored information. To the right of thedisplay portion 9, there is provided an operation panel 10 provided withoperation buttons for making various settings on the refrigerator, and,to the left of the display portion 9, there is formed an air outlet 11of the casing unit 8. To the right of the air outlet 11, there isprovided an operation portion 12 for turning the ion generatingapparatus 7 on and off and for switching between different iongeneration balance settings.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show how a dustproof filter 14 is attached to and detachedfrom an air inlet 13 formed in the control panel 6. As shown in thesefigures, in a left-hand end portion of the bottom face of the controlpanel 6, there is formed an opening 16 with a grating which communicateswith the air inlet 13, and this opening 16 is located above a recess 17formed, as the upper door handle for the vegetables compartment 5, belowthe control panel 6.

A dustproof filter 14 is detachably attached to the opening 16 formed inthe bottom face of the control panel 6. This dustproof filter 14 removesparticulate dust from the air sucked in through the air inlet 13 of thecasing unit 8, and thereby prevents deterioration of performanceresulting from dust collecting in the discharge electrode portion of theion generating apparatus 7.

The dustproof filter 14 is formed of resin net fitted to a resin frame,and is fixed to the bottom face of the control panel 6 with claws. Thedustproof filter 14 is made of a soft, easily deformable material, andcan thus be easily detached from the control panel 6.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the casing unit 8 is built as a unit composedof a case 40 made of resin molded in a cylindrical shape, the iongenerating apparatus 7 for generating positive and negative ions, andthe blower 21 for blowing out the generated ions. The ion generatingapparatus 7 consists of a discharge electrode portion and a drivecircuit that supplies a voltage to the discharge electrode portion. Inthe bottom face of the case 40 is formed the air inlet 13, and in thefront face of the case 40 is formed the air outlet 11. Thus, an airpassage 20 is formed that runs from the air inlet 13 to the air outlet11. The ion generating apparatus 7 is placed in a middle portion of theair passage 20 so as to face it, and the blower 21 is placed above theair inlet 13.

The wall surface of the case 40 that faces the air passage 20 is coveredwith a conductive material such as aluminum tape. The case 40, which isa resin molding, is easily charged electrically. This tends to causeions to attach to the wall surface. By making the wall surface of thecase 40 conductive, it is possible to prevent ions from attaching to thewall surface and thereby reduce the loss of ions inside the air passage20. In this way, it is possible to let a sufficient amount of ions beblown out through the air outlet 11.

The air outlet 11 formed in the front face of the control panel 6 isopen toward the living space outside, especially in front of, therefrigerator, so that ionized air sterilizes the living space outside,especially in front of the refrigerator, and prevents entry of airbornegerms into the refrigerator. The air outlet 11 may be provided with alouver 11 a (see FIG. 2) so that the direction in which ionized air isblown out can be varied electrically or manually. By electricallyoperating the louver 11 a all the time, it is possible to agitate theair in the living space and thereby enhance sterilization efficiency.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the construction inside the casing unit, andFIG. 7 is a sectional view thereof along line X-X. As shown in thesefigures, in the portion of the air passage 20 located on the downstreamside of the ion generating apparatus 7, there is provided water damagepreventing means 22 for preventing liquid such as water that has enteredthe casing unit through the air outlet 11 from reaching the iongenerating apparatus 7.

The water damage preventing means 22 is composed of a water damagepreventing rib 23 that protrudes upward from the bottom face of thecasing unit 8 in the portion of the air passage 20 located on thedownstream side of the ion generating apparatus 7, a water trap 24formed as a lowered portion in the bottom face of the casing unit 8 onthe downstream side of the water damage preventing rib 23 near the airoutlet 11, and a drain hole 25 formed in the bottom face of the watertrap 24. The water damage preventing means 22 may be realized with atleast one of the rib 23, water trap 24, and drain hole 25.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, in the bottom face of the control panel 6,there is formed a drain hole 26 so as to correspond to the drain hole 25formed in the casing unit and thereby permit liquid, such as the waterthat has entered the casing unit 8 from outside and drained out of itthrough the drain hole 25 thereof, to be drained out of the controlpanel 6.

The blower 21, which is placed above the air inlet 13 of the casing unit8, is a centrifugal blower having a fan with multiple narrow wings. Theblower 21 sucks in air from below and sends it out in the horizontaldirection.

FIG. 8 is an electrical circuit diagram of the ion generating apparatus7, which is of the surface discharge type, and FIG. 9 is an externalperspective view of the ion generating apparatus 7. As shown in thesefigures, the ion generating apparatus 7 is composed of an electrodeportion 7 a placed near the front opening of a casing 71 and ahigh-voltage power supply portion 7 b housed inside the casing 71.

The electrode portion 7 a of the ion generating apparatus 7 is fittedwith a chip heater 54, which prevents failure of discharge as whenhighly humid air passes through the electrode interface. In thehigh-voltage power supply portion 7 b of the ion generating apparatus 7,one end of a secondary line of a step-up transformer 55 is connectedthrough a relay 56 back to an alternating-current (AC) line. Thus, thehigh-voltage power supply portion 7 b has a circuit configuration suchthat, when the relay 56 is open, positive and negative are generated inequal amounts and, when the relay 56 is closed, negative ions areselectively generated.

Although an alternating-current power source is used as a drive powersource 57 for the ion generating apparatus 7 in FIG. 8, the circuitconfiguration may be so modified as to use a direct-current powersource. In a case where a direct-current power source is used, theoutput tends to be lower than when an alternating-current power sourceis used, and therefore, when high-load electrodes are used, it isnecessary to take some measures to cope with it as by using means ofstepping up the voltage in two steps.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the ionizer portion 20 a of the airpassage 20 facing the electrode portion 7 a is given a cross-sectionalarea equal to that of the outlet 21 a of the blower 21. This helpsalleviate the pressure loss in the air blown out by the blower 21, andthus helps send out a sufficient amount of air at a sufficient rate.Thus, it is possible to generate ionized air with high efficiency.

Next, the operation of the casing unit 8 constructed as described abovewill be described. When the refrigerator body 1 is energized, and theion generating apparatus 7 is turned on by operating the operation panel10, the ion generating apparatus 7 and the blower 21 start operatingsimultaneously. As a result, the air sucked in through the air inlet 13from the living space outside the refrigerator passes through thedustproof filter 14, is then ionized in the ionizer portion 20 a, thenpasses through the air passage 20, and is then released through the airoutlet 11.

In the ion generating apparatus 7, when a positive or negative highvoltage higher than the discharge start voltage is applied from thehigh-voltage power supply portion 7 b to between the electrodes of theelectrode portion 7 a, electric discharge occurs, producing a strongelectric field. This causes electrical breakdown in air containingmoisture, generating positive and negative ions. The voltage applied is,preferably, in the range of 3.2 kV to 5.5 kV, depending on the structureof the electrodes.

Meanwhile, the air sent into the air passage 20 by the blower 21 passesby the surfaces of the discharge electrodes of the ion generatingapparatus 7. Here, air that passes close to the surfaces is ionized intopositive and negative ions as described above, and the resulting ionizedair is released into the space outside, especially in front of, therefrigerator. As a result, microbes floating in the space outside,especially in front of, the refrigerator is killed by being subjected tothe sterilizing effect brought about in the following manner.

When the output voltage is positive, positive ions, mainly H⁺(H₂O)_(n),are generated. When the output voltage is negative, negative ions,mainly O₂ ⁻(H₂O)_(m), are generated. These ions H⁺(H₂O)_(n) and O₂⁻(H₂O)_(m) gather together around the surfaces of microbes, and thusenclose airborne germs such as microbes floating in the air. Then,according to formulae (1) to (3) below, the ions, by colliding with oneanother and thus gathering together, produce a radical such as [.OH](hydroxyl radical) or H₂O₂ (oxygen peroxide) on the surfaces of microbesor the like and thereby kill airborne germs.H⁺(H₂O)_(n)+O₂ ⁻(H₂O)_(m)→OH+1/2O₂+(n+m)H₂O   (1)H⁺(H₂O)_(n)+H⁺(H₂O)_(n), +O₂ ⁻(H₂O)_(m)+O₂ ⁻(H₂O)_(m),→2.OH+O₂+(n+n′+m+m′)H₂O   (2)H⁺(H₂O)_(n)+H⁺(H₂O)_(n), +O₂ ⁻(H₂O)_(m)+O₂ ⁻(H₂O)_(m),→H₂O₂+O₂+(n+n′+m+m′)H₂O   (3)

By releasing a sufficient amount of positive and negative ions to killairborne germs present in the living space in this way, it is possibleto prevent microbes from entering the refrigerator from outside when thedoor of the refrigerator compartment 2 or vegetables compartment 5,which tends to be opened and closed frequently, is opened and closed.This helps produce a more hygienic environment inside the refrigerator.

Moreover, since the ion generating apparatus 7 and its operation portion12 are located at a height of 800 mm to 1 100 mm from the floor surfaceof the refrigerator. This prevents ionized air to be blown directly onlythe face of infants who are younger than one and a half year (with anaverage height of about 800 mm), which is the age at which they startwalking steadily, and thus who still toddle supported or unsupported.Moreover, this is achieved without spoiling the operability with whichadults can operate the refrigerator.

Moreover, the casing unit 8, which is built as a unit, is built into andthereby integrated into the control panel 6. This helps save spacewithout reducing the spaces inside the storage compartments and withoutspoiling the functions and appearance of the refrigerator. Moreover, theair outlet 11 of the casing unit 8 is located directly in the front faceof the control panel 8 without a detour through a pipe or the like. Thishelps efficiently release ionized air and simultaneously save space.

Furthermore, since the air outlet 11 is located in the front face of thecontrol panel 6, it is possible to check whether the casing unit 8 isoperating or not easily as by placing a hand in front of the air outlet11 while operating the refrigerator. Moreover, the air inlet 13 of thecasing unit 8 is located above the door handle for a storagecompartment, such as the vegetables compartment 5, so that air is suckedinto the casing unit 8 through the vicinity of the space created by therecess 17 formed as the door handle. This enhances suction efficiency.Moreover, by locating the air inlet 13 in the bottom face of the controlpanel 6, it is possible to prevent entry of particulate dust that fallsfrom above, and prevent entry of liquid such as water. This helps avoiddeterioration of performance or failure.

Moreover, by operating the operation portion 12, the ion balance can bevaried so that the ion generating apparatus 7 selectively releases alarge amount of negative ions. This makes it possible to obtain arelaxing effect on the human body. In particular, in a case where alarge amount of negative ions is selectively generated, by operating thelouver 11 a, ionized air can be directed to a space such as a kitchen orthe like where a person spends time in a fixed position so as toefficiently obtain a relaxing effect on the human body.

This embodiment deals only with ion generating means for releasing ionsto outside a refrigerator. Needless to say, it is also possible toprovide ion generating means inside the refrigerator. In the embodimentdescribed above, the ion generating means is placed in the control panelprovided in the front face of the partition wall separating the storagecompartments. It is, however, also possible to place the casing unit ofthe ion generating means in the door of a storage compartment of therefrigerator.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a front view of therefrigerator of the second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 11 is a topview of the refrigerator. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the constructioninside the ceiling portion of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13is a sectional view along line A-A shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is asectional view along line B-B shown in FIG. 12.

As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerator of this embodiment has, in anupper portion of a refrigerator body 1, a refrigerator compartment 27and, below it, a freezer compartment 28 and a vegetables compartment 29.These compartments are separated from one another with heat-insulatingpartition portions. The refrigerator compartment 27 is openable with adoor 30 pivoted at the front thereof Likewise, the freezer compartment28 and the vegetables compartment 29 are respectively openable withdoors 31 and 32 pivoted at the front thereof The doors 30, 31, and 32are openably supported by hinges. In the refrigerator of thisembodiment, the hinges are provided at both the left-hand and right-handsides of the door so that the door is openable from either side.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, a ceiling portion 33 of the refrigerator 1is composed of a top surface portion 33 a and a front portion 33 b thatare flush with each other. The front portion 33 b is shaped like a boxby being composed of a support member 35 for holding a hinge fittingplate 34 to which the hinges are fitted and a cover 36 for covering thesupport member 35 from above to conceal the hinge fitting plate 34.

The hinge fitting plate 34, which has the hinges fitted thereto at bothends, is so shaped as to protrude frontward in a left-hand and a righthand portion thereof, and is recessed in a central portion thereof Inthis central portion is placed the casing unit 8 described earlier. Thecasing unit 8 has its case 40 fitted to the support member 35 withscrews or the like. Next to the casing unit 8, there is placed a circuitboard holding member 38 for holding an operation circuit board 39upright. The operation circuit board 39 is a circuit board for operatingthe casing unit 8.

The air inlet 13 (see FIG. 14) of the casing unit 8 is fitted with adustproof filter 46. This dustproof filter 46 removes particulate dustfrom the air sucked in through the air inlet 13 of the casing unit 8,and thereby prevents deterioration of performance resulting from dustcollecting in the discharge electrode portion of the ion generatingapparatus 7.

As shown in FIG. 10, on the front face of the support member 35, thereare provided, on the left, a display portion 47 for displaying theoperation status of the casing unit 8 and other monitored informationand, on the right, an operation portion 48 for operating the casing unit8. At the center, there is formed an opening 41 that faces the airoutlet 11 so as to permit ionized air to be blown out therethrough.Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the front bottom surface ofthe support member 35 faces the door 30 of the refrigerator compartment27, and has a recess 49 formed in a central portion thereof In therecess 49, there is formed an opening 42 so as to face the air inlet 13of the casing unit 8 to permit air outside the refrigerator to be suckedin therethrough. This recess 49 helps widen the gap between the supportmember 35 and the door 30, and thus makes it possible to suck in anample amount of air through the air inlet 13 even when the door 30 isclosed.

Next, the operation of generating ions in the construction describedabove will be described. When power is turned on by operating theoperation portion 48, the casing unit 8 is energized. The ion generatingapparatus 7 and the blower 21 start operating simultaneously. Thus, airoutside the refrigerator is sucked into the case 40 through the opening42 and the air inlet 13. The air sucked in passes through the dustprooffilter 46, and flows through the air passage 20. The positive andnegative ions generated by the ion generating apparatus 7 is carried bythe passing air, and thus the air becomes ionized. This ionized air isblown out through the air outlet 11 and the opening 41.

In this way, ionized air is blown out from the ceiling portion 33. Thus,the ionized air blown out of the refrigerator reaches far and is sparedover a wide area. The positive and negative ions kill airborne germspresent in the living space, and thereby reduces the airborne germspresent in the vicinity of the refrigerator body 1. Thus, ionized airshuts the front of the refrigerator body 1, and produces a living spacewith reduced airborne germs. Even when any of the door 30, 31, and 32 isopened and closed, airborne germs are prevented from entering therefrigerator from outside. Thus, it is possible to realize a morehygienic environment both inside and outside the refrigerator.

By setting the blow-out direction of the air outlet 11 downward, it ispossible to form a curtain of ionized air in front of the refrigeratorbody 1. This air curtain cuts off the way of entry through whichairborne germs approach the refrigerator body 1, and thus helps to moresecurely prevent entry of airborne germs into the refrigerator.

Many modifications are possible in this embodiment. For example, the iongenerating apparatus 7 or the casing unit 8 may be placed in the topface of the ceiling portion. Separate ion generating apparatuses may beprovided to release ions to outside and inside the refrigerator.Although this embodiment deals with a door that is openable from eitherside, it is also possible to apply the invention to a door that isopenable from one side. Specifically, in a case where a hinge fittingplate that has a hinge fitted thereto at one end is adopted, the iongenerating apparatus 7 or the casing unit 8 can be placed in the spaceleft by the side of the frontward protruding portion of the hingefitting plate in front of the ceiling portion.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

As described above, according to the present invention, a refrigeratoris furnished with ion generating means that releases a sufficient amountof ionized air to produce a sterilizing effect into the living spaceoutside, especially in front of, the refrigerator. With the resultingexcellent sterilizing effect, it is possible to kill microbes floatingin the living space without the use of an air purifier having such afunction. Thus, it is possible to prevent entry of airborne germs intothe refrigerator from outside, and thus to realize a hygienicenvironment inside the refrigerator.

Moreover, according to the present invention, the ion generating meansis placed in the ceiling portion of the refrigerator body. With theresulting excellent antimicrobial effect, it is possible to eliminateairborne germs present in the living space outside the refrigerator. Inthis way, it is possible to produce a hygienic, comfortable livingspace, and to reduce airborne germs and thereby prevent airborne germsfrom entering the refrigerator from outside. Moreover, since the ionizedair outlet is located in the ceiling portion, there is no risk of itbeing toyed with by an infant.

Furthermore, the space left in the ceiling portion is used, andtherefore there is no need to newly secure a space in which to installan ion generating apparatus. This makes it possible to incorporate anion generating apparatus into a refrigerator without significant designchanges. Moreover, the interior and doors of the refrigerator can beused as they are without any changes in design. This helps reduce costs.

1. A refrigerator comprising ion generating means having an air passageleading to an air outlet, wherein positive and negative ions arereleased into a living space outside the refrigerator.
 2. Therefrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the positive and negativeions are released to outside a door of a storage compartment of therefrigerator.
 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the iongenerating means is built as a unit by being housed inside a casingunit.
 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an air inlet ofthe ion generating means has an opening pointing downward.
 5. Therefrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ion generating means isbuilt into and thereby integrated into a control panel for makingvarious settings, for example, for adjustment of a temperature inside astorage compartment.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 3, whereinthe ion generating means is built as a unit including a blower and anion generating apparatus housed inside a casing unit.
 7. Therefrigerator according to claim 5, wherein an air outlet of the iongenerating means is located in a front face of the control panel.
 8. Therefrigerator according to claim 7, wherein an air inlet of the casingunit is located in a bottom face of the control panel and above a recessformed, as a door handle for the storage compartment, below the controlpanel.
 9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein a dustprooffilter is detachably attached to the air inlet of the ion generatingmeans.
 10. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the casingunit is provided with water damage preventing means for preventingliquid such as water that has entered the casing unit from reaching theion generating apparatus.
 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10,wherein the water damage preventing means is realized with the air inletformed in the casing unit and a drain hole formed separately from theair outlet.
 12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein a drainhole is formed in a bottom portion of the control panel so as tocorrespond to the drain hole formed in the casing unit.
 13. Therefrigerator according to claim 10, wherein a water damage preventingrib is formed so as to protrude upward from a bottom portion of thecasing unit in an air passage between the air outlet formed in thecasing unit and the ion generating apparatus.
 14. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 7, wherein the control panel is located at a heightof 800 mm to 1 100 mm from a floor surface of a body of therefrigerator.
 15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the iongenerating means is located in a ceiling portion of a body of therefrigerator.
 16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein in theceiling portion of the body of the refrigerator is provided a box-shapedmember composed of a fitting member for fitting a door hinge for atopmost storage compartment of the refrigerator and a cover for coveringthe fitting member, and the ion generating means is housed inside thebox-shaped member.
 17. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein anair outlet of the ion generating means is formed in a front face of therefrigerator.
 18. The refrigerator according to claim 16, wherein in afront bottom portion of the box-shaped member is formed a recess, and anair inlet of the ion generating means is formed in a bottom face of thebox-shaped member so as to face the recess.